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Royal prank DJs given the boot

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Royal prank DJs given the boot

3News NZ

Michael Christian and Mel Greig (AAP)

Michael Christian and Mel Greig (AAP)

The two radio hosts at the centre of the royal telephone prank have been given the flick by employers Southern Cross Austereo.

Michael Christian and Mel Greig’s 2DayFM show The Hot 30 was taken off-air after a prank led to nurse Jacinta Saldanha taking her own life.

Ms Saldanha transferred a call from the duo, pretending to be Queen Elizabeth II and her son Charles, through to another nurse in the ward where Prince William’s pregnant wife Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness at King Edward VII Hospital in London.

That nurse then told the impersonator that Ms Middleton "hasn't had any retching with me and she's been sleeping on and off".

Three days later, on December 7, Ms Saldanha was found dead at the hospital's nurses' accommodation.

2DayFM's parent company announced their decision to dump the two DJs on their Facebook page on Sunday.

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Comments

29/01/2013 3:44:40 a.m.

Libby wrote:

The radio station has a warped sense of humor when it comes to pranks. They're the same radio station that played a prank on a 12yo girl who ended up revealing she was raped after having it forced out of her - the girls mother who also allowed it to be aired should be darned ashamed herself along with the radio station and djs - Kyle and Jackie O. I feel sorry for these particular dj's though as this poor old nurse already had issues, the prank (as most have pointed out) was not exclusively the reason she killed herself. Jackie O and Kyle are still Dj's for that radio station and should have bee sacked several years ago. The radio station should have gone down at the same time. Plenty of kiwi radio stations air pranks, I'm yet to hear something as screwed up as what this station allows though.

28/01/2013 4:43:38 p.m.

Jessie wrote:

@ ERM if the kid that committed suiside did nothing other than pass the phone onto the the real person who was being pranked then no there wouldnt be any arrests or anything, everyone would just be asking themselves what the real problems in the kids life were and not just laying the blame on people that had nothing to do with it!

28/01/2013 4:33:06 p.m.

Keith wrote:

@ ERM, seriously? thats the worst logic I have ever heard! And you are talking about something completly different. they didnt prank the nurse, the only involvement she had was transferring a call! the main part of the prank was done to someone completly different! Face it no one kills themselves for transferring a phone call, thats just idiotic.

28/01/2013 3:47:43 p.m.

leigha wrote:

I agree EDDIE. All she did was transfer the call. The other nurse was the one who gave out information. No, these two DJ's have been made scapegoats and it isnt fair to them. As they said, they never expected to be put through to anywhere! For this nurse to take her own life, there must have been serious issues already happening in her life. To blame the two DJ's is ridiculous. I feel bad for her family, friends and colleagues, but I feel worse for the hosts. Terrible what has been done to them in the aftermath. Just terrible. I hope they can get through it.

28/01/2013 2:59:00 p.m.

Adam wrote:

I agree with Eddie 100%. The nurse's death was not foreseeable. These guys should not have been sacked!

28/01/2013 2:52:15 p.m.

Erm... wrote:

@Eddie - if prank calls had been made from kids to a school mate and it resulted in suicide, it would have resulted in arrests, youth detention, expulsions, etc. These are adults - they must be held responsible for their actions. And a warning to all shock jocks elsewhere.

28/01/2013 12:49:58 p.m.

eddie wrote:

The nurse was already mentally unstable...having a prank pulled just pushed her over the edge...2 young radio hosts have their fledging careers snuffed out due to PC!...jesus I was a part of a radio prank back in the UK...yes I was embarrassed but saw the funny side, radio stations do it the world over, seems these guys are scapegoats to something that would have happened anyhow.